‘It’sgoodthat people are made aware ofwhattheir grandparents wentthrough’
Robert Monty (38), a management consultant, served all over the world with the Army. Originally from Belfast, he now lives in Darwin, Australia, with his wife Laura and their 10-month-old son, Alfie. He says:
Iwent to Methodist College and then Queen’s University where I was involved in a lot of sport. I played rugby and rowed, but I didn’t have an idea of what to do afterwards. One day I was on a boat setting out buoys for a race with one of my professors when he asked me what I wanted to do with my life.
I said I might join the Army and he told me to go for it — it had been the best three years of his life.
I went backpacking for a while after university and then came home to find my dad had the forms ready for me, as he was tired of me bumming around.
I joined a Scottish regiment — the Troubles were coming to an end by then but I really didn’t want to serve in Northern Ireland.
I was posted to the Falklands and then Cyprus before doing two tours in Iraq.
I did a lot of training in places like Oman and Belize before finishing up with a tour in Afghanistan.
There were no surprises when we were deployed. I would say my group had a pretty lucky time of it as far as deaths and injuries went.
It was textbook long periods of boredom separated by short periods when it got a bit noisy.
I served for 11 years and met a girl in the Army while posted to Germany.
❝ My group had a pretty lucky time of it as far as deaths and injuries went
Laura was in the military police before accepting a transfer to the Australian Defence Force. I had to choose between the military and her so I decided to get a real job.
I had an overwhelmingly positive time in the forces. It was incredibly hard work at times but I got to travel the world and meet my wife.
It was an interesting change for me to go from being Belfast born and bred to joining a real institution which has a lot of rules.
I had spent some time at a desk which is what you do as an officer but there was still a big transition when I left and it does take time to build a new career.
I don’t let my time in the military define me, though.
I’m not a traditionalist, but Remembrance Day is an opportunity to think of the unbelievable death toll from the UK and other countries, of young men who wouldn’t have necessarily joined the military.
It was a long time ago but it’s an important thing to remember, that level of civic duty, the sacrifices people made.
It’s good in today’s society that people are reminded of what their grandparents and great-grandparents went through.”